Check the Enemy Jungler's Position Before You Commit

The single biggest mistake that leads to failed ganks is walking into a lane while the enemy jungler is ready to counter-gank. Before you even path toward a lane, glance at the minimap and ask: where is the enemy jungler? If you saw them top five seconds ago and you're heading bottom, you're safe for a brief window. But if their location is unknown, assume they are mirroring you. Look for their last visible position, recent pings, and whether their camps are up on one side of the map. A smart counter-gank turns your 2v1 into a 2v2 that you almost always lose because they have the element of surprise. Also consider the enemy jungler's clear speed — if they started botside and you're pathing top, they could be arriving at the same time as you. When you gank without this check, you're gambling your kill and possibly your life. One easy tip: track the enemy jungler's first clear, and after they show on the map, roughly count your own clear time to estimate where they might be next. If you can't confirm their location, hold your gank for another five seconds or take a defensive route through your own jungle so you don't run into them. That discipline alone will prevent thousands of deaths and lost objectives.

Check Your Own Laner's Health, Mana, and Summoner Spells

You might see the enemy laner pushed up and think it's a free kill, but if your own laner is at 100 HP with no mana, the gank can only be a high-risk dive. A successful gank requires your laner to deal damage, follow up with CC, and survive the counter-attack. If your mid laner has 150 HP and the enemy Zed has all cooldowns, one misstep and you've just given a double kill. So before you ping, check your laner's health bar, mana bar, and item state. Also press Tab to see whether they have flash and ignite — an ally with flash can engage or escape, while a laner with no flash will be slower to follow your play. Equally important is enemy summoner spells, but your own laner's are often more critical because they determine if the gank is even playable. For example, if your laner has no mana, they can't throw their spells, so your burst combo alone might not be enough. If your laner is backing or just recalled, you must not gank. Many junglers tunnel on the enemy's position and completely ignore their ally's status — this is exactly how you waste thirty seconds, give away your location, and tilt your laner. Always ask yourself: can this person actually help me secure the kill? If the answer is no, move elsewhere. The best ganks are ones where your laner's crowd control meets your burst damage, and neither of you is in a doomed state.

Check the Wave State and Lane Priority

A gank is not just about the enemy being overextended — you must read the minion wave. If the enemy wave is huge and pushing toward your laner, ganking is actually much easier because the enemy has to walk through your minions, and you have a long lane to chase. But if your lane is shoved under the enemy tower, a gank means tower diving, which requires a full wave crashing and at least one teammate with true damage or hard CC. Never gank a lane where the wave is frozen on the enemy's side unless you have complete vision of the enemy jungler and your team can dive 100%. Also check whether the enemy laner has lane priority: if they pushed the wave in, they can rotate faster to a river skirmish, so your gank might trigger a 3v2 that includes mid collapsing. Instead, time your gank when the wave is bouncing back — when your minions start pushing toward the enemy and you can arrive just as the enemy steps up to last-hit. A good jungler also coordinates with their laner to set up a slow push, meaning if you arrive while a big wave crashes, you can dive safely because tower targets minions first. Ignoring wave state makes ganks fail even when your laner is healthy — the enemy just hides under tower, you lose your time, and you show on the map with no result. Always look at where the wave is relative to the river line: if it's past the halfway point, you can gank from behind; if it's near your tower, the enemy is already too far away and you'll never catch them. Thus, read the wave before every single path change.

Check for Hidden Vision and Enemy Counter-Gank Routes

Even if everything else looks perfect, a gank can be ruined by a single control ward or a trinket in the river bush. Before you walk into a lane, ask: what vision do the enemies have? Did you see the enemy support place a ward in the river entrance thirty seconds ago? Did your toplaner just walk into the bush and get no reaction from the enemy? You can't know for sure unless you have a sweeper or oracle lens, so make sure you have one ready before you gank. Also think about counter-gank routes: the enemy jungler might be sitting in the lane bush waiting for you to engage. Check the minimap for any signs of a nearby lane ward, and if you're unsure, take a longer path — for instance, entering the lane through the tribush or from the lane itself instead of the river. This costs a few seconds but dramatically reduces the chance of being spotted. Also, look at future enemy support roams — if the top lane is unwarded and their support just disappeared from bot, they could be on their way to counter your gank. If you don't have any vision in the enemy jungle, pretend the worst: they are always in the closest bush. The best gankers often wait five extra seconds to let the enemy overextend and also to draw out any hidden threats. Once you commit, you must also have an escape plan: know which flash you need to use, which wall you can hop over, and whether your laner has enough HP to take a second tower shot. Vision is the silent killer of junglers — you can have all the mechanics in the world, but if the enemy sees you coming, the gank is over before it starts. So make this your final check: sweep, look at the minimap, and only then press that W.